Author: John Lysaught
Source: RaptureReady.com

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body” (2 Corinthians 4:8-10).

You ever feel pressed, perplexed, persecuted, or struck down by people? I have. It’s hard. It seems like some days are just too hard, too much working against us in our walk with Jesus. Satan attacks us from every possible angle you can imagine. He is always there waiting to pounce on us, to tear us away from Jesus. He is always there to keep people away from Jesus using every trick he has in his handbag to keep people from coming to Christ and being part of the plan of salvation.

We are pressed on all sides. We must be strong in these times. The enemy is working harder than ever to keep people from Christ. The world is pressing on us in every possible way. Satan is using the world and worldly people against us to keep us from our calling, which is to be with Jesus. Satan uses the world to entice us away through media, through unsaved people, and anti-Christ’s that twist the word of the Lord to try to make us think that the Word is irrelevant and useless in today’s world.
[Related Article: Deconstructing Liberal Tolerance]

We are pressed but not crushed. We can overcome the wiles of Satan by being strong in Lord Jesus. Through our faith we can overcome the pressing of evil that is upon us. We can overcome anything that Satan throws in our path. To do this we need to pray always, seek the Lord daily, and renew our relationship with Jesus every day, every hour, every minute of our lives. By doing this, keeping Jesus and his commands in the forefront of our minds, we can overcome and not be swayed by the tricks and turns that Satan throws at us. Jesus is stronger than Satan and His promises of overcoming the world and Satan are true. We need to just put our trust in Christ and hold on to our faith.
[Related Article: The Spirit Of This Age]

We face persecution. It may be subtle, or it may be obvious, but we are all facing persecution of the church today. We are being marginalized by the world, as a fringe group of fanatics that won’t conform to what the world is saying is now normal: gay marriage, abortion, worshiping other god’s (entertainment industry, hobbies, etc.). When things are happening in our country, in our communities, in our churches that are contrary to what the Lord has written in His Word; that is subtle persecution of true believers and followers of Jesus Christ. When the government says that gay marriage is now the law of the land, we are being persecuted. When late term abortions are part of the norm, we are being persecuted. This is because when we disagree with these types of government policies and laws, we are considered in a negative way and are told we are bigots or hateful.
[Related Article: Trusting God As Freedom Fades]

Then there are the obvious persecutions we face. When we are treated differently (negatively) because of our faith, such as when we proclaim to others what we believe and are put down because of what we believe, we are being persecuted. It isn’t so bad in this country because we are not being killed or sent to prison for our faith, yet. Nonetheless, when we are being treated negatively or marginalized for our faith, we are still being persecuted, just not to the level that some face in other countries. How long will it be until true believers are marginalized in this country to the extent that we face imprisonment or bodily harm? Just look at the military and how they now say Christians are a threat to the military’s good order and discipline, and how expressing Christian beliefs to others can lead to prosecution in the military. How long until that spreads to mainstream America?
[Related Article: Intolerance]

Know though that we are not abandoned. Christ is with us always, even in the face of persecution, whether subtle or obvious. Christ is our Rock that we can stand on to be assured that we are saved with salvation through grace to eternity. Christ in you works with you to help you through the persecutions you face. Regardless of if it is a bigoted attitude toward Christians, or being killed or imprisoned for our faith, Christ is with us and we are assured of our salvation. There is nothing to fear then because He is with us always and will be the blanket wrapped around us to protect us and be with us in times of trouble. We will face trouble, but be assured Christ is with us during those times.
[Related Article: Are You Peculiar?]

Being struck down is tough. I think we have all had a situation where, because of our faith, we have been knocked down emotionally and spiritually. This is especially true when we try to share our faith with an unbeliever. It is not our job to change their hearts, but we are called to introduce Jesus to the unsaved. The vileness of some people can be very hurtful and disheartening. Most people not interested in Jesus are nice about it to me, but I have heard the vileness of some people that curse the name of Jesus because of their cold hearts. We are human and we hurt when we are turned away or shunned because of our faith. God is with us though, even in these situations.
[Related Article: They Call Us Haters]

Don’t lose heart because even if you feel you are struck down, beat down, or set apart because of your faith; we cannot be destroyed if we are in Christ. People cannot destroy us, nor can Satan working through the world and unbelievers destroy us. They may hurt our feelings but they cannot destroy our faith and hope in Christ Jesus. Jesus is stronger and more powerful than any evil force in the universe. We should not lose heart when we are struck down at times by others but we should be made stronger in our faith when we face adversity.
[Related Article: When Tolerance Is Sin]

Adversity is part of being a Christian. This is something we should embrace, for it will make us stronger in Christ Jesus. For the unbeliever, if you are not for Christ then you are against us. If you are against us, then you are of the world and support the works of Satan. You can switch teams, so to speak, and be on the side of Jesus and eternity with Him in heaven. To be with Jesus is not easy in the world we live in, but the troubles we face are minimal as compared to the trouble you will have if you choose the world (and Satan) and spend eternity in hell instead of heaven with Jesus.
[Related Article: Stop Apologizing!]

Jesus is the promise of salvation through grace. Believe in Him, commit yourself to Him, and follow Him, and your eternity will be heaven, not hell. What you, as an unbeliever may not know is that God sent His only Son, Jesus, into the world to be the sacrifice for all humanity’s sins. That means He was sacrificed to cover my sins, your sins, and everyone else’s sin for those that believe He is the Son of God that died on a cross for us. This may be hard to grasp, but it is truth and can be counted on as truth. If you believe in Jesus and put your trust in Him (heart, soul, mind) then when judgment comes, you can be assured that your sins are already forgiven and heaven awaits your soul.

If you choose not to believe in Jesus, you will die, just like everyone else, but the difference is that you will be accountable for your sins and will not have an advocate for you when you face the judgment seat of God. You will go to hell. This may sound harsh to you, but it is truth: Jesus equals eternal life in heaven, and not having Jesus means eternal damnation in hell.

Choose Jesus my friends. If you are playing church and don’t really believe in Jesus, it is time to choose. If you don’t go to church but want eternal life in heaven, now is the time to accept Christ as your Lord and Savior. You cannot earn heaven, for it is a gift of God that was given by grace through the sacrifice of Christ if you believe on His name, His life, His death, and His resurrection.

Find a church that teaches the foundations found in the Bible. Study the Bible and seek the Lord for yourself. More importantly, pray to God for revelation and assurance that Jesus is the real deal. Cry out to the Lord that you want eternity with Him in heaven and pray for Jesus to be part of your life, the main part of your being and life.
[Related Article: Persevere!]

Being part of the world (and Satan) isn’t easy. With Jesus, you will face trouble in the world, but eternity with Him is worth it. I pray that those reading this that are not saved are touched by the Holy Spirit and gain a desire to seek the Lord and to learn about and accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Choosing Jesus is a journey worth the trip. You will be changed and will see the world differently from how you do now. You will see the world with Satan for what he is: a deceiver. With Jesus you will feel a love that is indescribable. Choose wisely, for your eternity is at stake.

Preachers found ‘not guilty’ in Bible reading case

Source: The Christian Institute

A pastor who was arrested for reading the Bible to the public in California has been found not guilty by a judge.

Superior Court Judge, Timothy Freer ruled that the prosecution’s case against Pastor Brett Coronado and Mark Mackey failed to prove the law had been broken.

Pastor Coronado and Mr Mackey were outside a local Government car registration centre in February 2011, when a California Highway Patrol officer took Mr Mackey’s Bible away and arrested him.

Arrested

Later, Pastor Coronado was also arrested and a non-profit religious liberty law firm Advocates for Faith and Freedom took on their case.

The Police said the group was preaching to a captive audience and were trespassing because they needed a proper permit to protest or demonstrate.

The men faced penalties of up to 90 days in jail and a $400 fine.

Legal

The defence argued that Pastor Coronado and Mr Mackey’s actions did not match the legal definition of protest or demonstration.

Defence attorney Robert Tyler said his clients were “very satisfied” with the ruling, and the case was really about protecting free speech.

He said: “In a judicial system where justice seems to be fleeting in many instances, we are very excited that we won this case and are pleased to have had a judge who seriously considered the evidence and applied the law in a fashion that was intellectually honest regardless of his personal views.”

Investigate

Mr Tyler will now proceed with the civil suit that he filed against California Highway Patrol, which had been on hold pending the outcome of the trial.

And prosecutors are understood to be investigating options for an appeal of the judge’s decision

Related articles:

Reading Bible aloud outside DMV wasn't illegal, judge rules (LA Times)

Christians Arrested for Reading Bible Outside DMV Declared ‘Not Guilty’ By California Court (ChristianNews.net)

Video: US pastor on trial after reading the Bible (ChristianNews.net)

Trial Begins for Christians Arrested for Reading Bible Outside California DMV (Voice Of the Persecuted)

Pastor Prosecuted for Reading Bible
Out Loud in Public Goes to Trial

Author: Jacob Stevens
Source: CharismaNews.com - August 6, 2013

Two Christians were arrested for reading the Bible in front of a closed DMV. (YouTube)

The case of two men arrested while reading the Bible—out loud and in public—went to trial on Monday, over a year after the events transpired. [Related Article: Trusting God As Freedom Fades]

The men were arrested when they went to their local DMV in Hemet, Calif., and read from the Bible aloud as people stood in line for the DMV to open. When the first California Highway Patrol (CHP) officer arrived on the scene, he grabbed the Bible away from the man reading it and said he could not "preach to a captive audience."

There is no penal code that says such a thing, so the officer later cited them for violating California Penal Code Section 602.1(b), which provides:

"Any person who intentionally interferes with any lawful business carried on by the employees of a public agency open to the public, by obstructing or intimidating those attempting to carry on business, or those persons there to transact business with the public agency ... is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for up to 90 days, or by a fine of up to four hundred dollars ($400), or by both that imprisonment and fine."

This penal code is meant to protect businesses from protesters who intimidate patrons and block entrances. In this case, the DMV was not yet open at the time the men were there, and they were standing approximately 40 feet away from the entrance of the building.

After Advocates for Faith and Freedom filed a federal lawsuit against the California Highway Patrol for unlawful arrest, Riverside County district attorney Paul Zellerbach decided to charge the men with trespassing on state property, a misdemeanor offense under Title 13 of the California Administrative Code, Section 1860(a), which says, "No person shall hold or conduct any demonstration or gathering in or upon any state buildings or grounds unless a permit has been issued by the Department."

The trial began Monday at the Riverside County Superior Court in Murrieta, Calif., and is expected to last approximately four to five days. Criminal defense attorney Nic Cocis of Murrieta and Robert Tyler, general counsel of Advocates for Faith and Freedom, will be defending pastor Bret Coronado and Mark Mackey. [Related Article: Police Officer Punished For Christian Beliefs]

Tyler remarked, "These men were exercising their First Amendment right of free speech. They were simply sharing their faith on public property, and we will defend their constitutional right to do so. This prosecution amounts to nothing more than retaliation for our filing a federal lawsuit."
[Related Article: War On Christianity]

The defense contends that the regulation being enforced is unconstitutional because it violates the First Amendment right to free speech and is unconstitutionally vague and overbroad in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment's due process clause. Additionally, the defense contends that the permit requirement does not apply because the men were not engaged in a demonstration or gathering.

The Rise Of The Bear: 18 Signs That Russia
Is Rapidly Catching Up To The United States

Author: Michael Snyder
Source: The Economic Collapse blog - August 7th, 2013

The Russian Bear is stronger and more powerful than it has ever been before. Sadly, most Americans don't understand this. They still think of Russia as an "ex-superpower" that was rendered almost irrelevant when the Cold War ended. And yes, when the Cold War ended Russia was in rough shape. I got the chance to go over there in the early nineties, and at the time Russia was an economic disaster zone. Russian currency was so worthless that I joked that I could go exchange a 20 dollar bill and buy the Kremlin. But since that time Russia has roared back to life. Once Vladimir Putin became president, the Russian economy started to grow very rapidly. Today, Russia is an economic powerhouse that is blessed with an abundance of natural resources. Their debt to GDP ratio is extremely small, they actually run a trade surplus every year, and they have the second most powerful military on the entire planet. Anyone that underestimates Russia at this point is making a huge mistake. The Russian Bear is back, and today it is a more formidable adversary than it ever was at any point during the Cold War.

Just check out the following statistics. The following are 18 signs that Russia is rapidly catching up to the United States...

 

 

 

#1 Russia produces more oil than anyone else on the planet. The United States is in third place.

#2 Russia is the number two oil exporter in the world. The United States is forced to import more oil than anyone else in the world.

#3 Russia produces more natural gas than anyone else on the planet. The United States is in second place.

#4 Today, Russia supplies 34 percent of Europe's natural gas needs.

#5 The United States has a debt to GDP ratio of 101 percent. Russia has a debt to GDP ratio of about 8 percent.

#6 The United States had a trade deficit of more than half a trillion dollars last year. Russia consistently runs a large trade surplus.

#7 The United States has an unemployment rate of 7.4 percent. Russia has an unemployment rate of 5.4 percent.

#8 Since Vladimir Putin first became president of Russia, the Russian economy has grown at a very rapid pace. The following is from Wikipedia...

Under the presidency of Vladimir Putin Russia's economy saw the nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) double, climbing from 22nd to 11th largest in the world. The economy made real gains of an average 7% per year (1999: 6.5%, 2000: 10%, 2001: 5.7%, 2002: 4.9%, 2003: 7.3%, 2004: 7.2%, 2005: 6.4%, 2006: 8.2%, 2007: 8.5%, 2008: 5.2%), making it the 6th largest economy in the world in GDP(PPP). In 2007, Russia's GDP exceeded that of 1990, meaning it has overcome the devastating consequences of the recession in the 1990s.

During Putin's eight years in office, the industry grew by 75%, investments increased by 125%, and agricultural production and construction increased as well. Real incomes more than doubled and the average salary increased eightfold from $80 to $640. The volume of consumer credit between 2000–2006 increased 45 times, and during that same time period, the middle class grew from 8 million to 55 million, an increase of 7 times. The number of people living below the poverty line also decreased from 30% in 2000 to 14% in 2008.

#9 According to Bloomberg, Russia has added 570 metric tons of gold to their reserves over the past decade. In the United States, nobody seems to be quite sure how much gold the Federal Reserve actually has left.

#10 Moscow is the second most expensive city in the world. Meanwhile, the United States actually has the unfriendliest city in the world (Newark, New Jersey).

#11 More billionaires live in Moscow than in any other city on the globe.

#12 The Moscow metro system completely outclasses the subway systems in Washington D.C. and New York City.

#13 The United States has the most powerful military on the planet, but Russia is in second place.

#14 Russia has introduced a new "near silent" nuclear submarine which is far more quiet than anything the U.S. has:

"The Borey Class submarine, dubbed Vladimir Monomakh, has a next generation nuclear reactor, can dive deeper than 1,200 feet, and carries up to 20 nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM).

Each of these "Bulava" ICBM's can carry ten detachable MIRV warheads, what they call "re-entry vehicles," capable of delivering 150 kiloton yields per warhead."

#15 While Barack Obama is neutering the U.S. strategic nuclear arsenal, Vladimir Putin is working hard to modernize Russian nuclear forces.

#16 Russian missile forces will hold more than 200 drills during the second half of 2013.

#17 Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin made headlines all over the world when he climbed into the cockpit of Russia’s new "fifth generation" fighter jet and announced that it was far superior to the F-22 Raptor.

#18 It is estimated that Russia has more spies inside the United States today than it did at any point during the Cold War.

Unfortunately, whenever I write an article about Russia I find that most people simply do not get it. They will make statements such as "the Cold War is over" or "Russia is our friend" which show a complete and total lack of understanding of the current geopolitical situation.

Russia has been steadily building a stronger relationship with China, and collectively they represent the number one strategic threat to the United States.

Someday this will become abundantly clear to the American people. Hopefully it will not be too late by the time they realize it.

 

On May 27, 2008, Terry Anderson, a black Los Angeles talk-radio host, went down a list of 39 lies as told by Barack Obama.

Anderson refuted each one of them with truth.

[Related Article: Prayers for Richmond, VA]

1.) Selma March Got Me Born - NOT EXACTLY, your parents felt safe enough to have you in 1961 - Selma had no effect on your birth, as Selma was in 1965. (Google 'Obama Selma ' for his full March 4, 2007 speech and articles a bout its various untruths.)!

2.) Father Was A Goat Herder - NOT EXACTLY, he was a privileged, well educated youth, who went on to work with the Kenyan Government.

3.) Father Was A Proud Freedom Fighter - NOT EXACTLY, he was part of one of the most corrupt and violent governments Kenya has ever had.

4.) My Family Has Strong Ties To African Freedom - NOT EXACTLY; your cousin Raila Odinga has created mass violence in attempting to overturn a legitimate election in 2007, in Kenya. It is the first widespread violence in decades. The current government is pro-American but Odinga wants to overthrow it and establish Muslim Sharia law. Your half-brother, Abongo Obama, is Odinga's follower. You interrupted your New Hampshire campaigning to speak to Odinga on the phone.

Obama's cousin Odinga in Kenya ran for president and tried to get Sharia Muslim law in place there. When Odinga lost the elections, his followers have burned Christians' homes and then burned men, women and children alive in a Christian church where they took shelter... Obama SUPPORTED his cousin before the election process here started. Google Obama and Odinga and see what you get. No one wants to know the truth.

5.) My Grandmother Has Always Been A Christian - NOT EXACTLY, she does her daily Salat prayers at 5am according to her own interviews. Not to mention, Christianity wouldn't allow her to have been one of 14 wives to 1 man.

6.) My Name is African Swahili - NOT EXACTLY, your name is Arabic and 'Baraka' (from which Barack came) means 'blessed' in that language. Hussein is also Arabic and so is Obama.
Barack Hussein Obama is not half black. He is the first Arab-American President, not the first black President. Barack Hussein Obama is 50% Caucasian from his mother's side and 43.75% Arabic and 6.25% African Negro from his father's side.
While Barack Hussein Obama's father was from Kenya , his father's family was mainly Arabs.. Barack Hussein Obama's father was only 12.5% African Negro and 87.5% Arab (his father's birth certificate even states he's Arab, not African Negro).

7.) I Never Practiced Islam - NOT EXACTLY, you practiced it daily at school, where you were registered as a Muslim and kept that faith for 31 years, until your wife made you change, so you could run for office.

- Barack Obama's Muslim Childhood (freerepublic.com)
- Obama's Muslim Childhood (danielpipes.org)
- Obama and Islam; The Early Years (theobamafile.com)

8.) My School In Indonesia Was Christian - NOT EXACTLY, you were registered as Muslim there and got in trouble in Koranic Studies for making faces (check your own book).

February 28, 2008. Kristoff from the New York Times: "Mr. Obama recalled the opening lines of the Arabic call to prayer, reciting them with a first-rate accent. In a remark that seemed delightfully uncalculated (it'll give Alabama voters heart attacks), Mr. Obama described the call to prayer as 'one of the prettiest sounds on Earth at sunset.' This is just one example of what Pamela is talking about when she says 'Obama's narrative is being altered, enhanced and manipulated to whitewash troubling facts.'

9.) I Was Fluent In Indonesian - NOT EXACTLY, not one teacher says you could speak the language.

10.) Because I Lived In Indonesia, I Have More Foreign Experience - NOT EXACTLY, you were there from the ages of 6 to 10, and couldn't even speak the language. What did you learn except how to study the Koran and watch cartoons?

11.) I Am Stronger On Foreign Affairs - NOT EXACTLY, except for Africa (surprise) and the Middle East (bigger surprise); you have never been anywhere else on the planet and thus have NO experience with our closest allies.

12.) I Blame My Early Drug Use On Ethnic Confusion - NOT EXACTLY, you were quite content in high school to be Barry Obama, no mention of Kenya and no mention of struggle to identify - your classmates said you were just fine...

13.)An Ebony Article Moved Me To Run For Office - NOT EXACTLY, Ebony has yet to find the article you mention in your book. It doesn't, and never did, exist.

14.) A Life Magazine Article Changed My Outlook On Life - NOT EXACTLY, Life has yet to find the article you mention in your book. It doesn't, and never did, exist.

15.) I Won't Run On A National Ticket In '08 - NOT EXACTLY, despite saying, live on TV, which you would not have enough experience by then, and you are all about having experience first.

16.) Voting 'Present' is Common In Illinois Senate - NOT EXACTLY, they are common for YOU, but not many others have 130 NO VOTES.

17.) Oops, I Miss-voted - NOT EXACTLY, only when caught by church groups and Democrats, did you beg to change your miss-vote.

18.) I Was A Professor Of Law - NOT EXACTLY; you were a senior lecturer ON LEAVE.

19.) I Was A Constitutional Lawyer - NOT EXACTLY, you were a senior lecturer ON LEAVE.

20.) Without Me, There Would Be No Ethics Bill - NOT EXACTLY, you didn't write it, introduce it, change it or create it.

21.) The Ethics Bill Was Hard To Pass - NOT EXACTLY, it took just 14 days from start to finish.

22.) I Wrote A Tough Nuclear Bill - NOT EXACTLY, your bill was rejected by your own party for its pandering and lack of all regulation - mainly because of your nuclear donor, Exelon, from which David Axelrod came.

23.) I Have Released My State Records - NOT EXACTLY, state bills you sponsored or voted for have yet to be released, exposing all the special interests pork hidden within.

24.) I Took On The Altgeld Gardens Mess - NOT EXACTLY, you were part of a large group of people who remedied Altgeld Gardens . You failed to mention anyone else but yourself, in your books.

25.) My Economics Bill Will Help America - NOT EXACTLY, your 111 economic policies were just combined into a proposal which lost 99-0, and even YOU voted against your own bill.

26.) I Have Been A Bold Leader In Illinois - NOT EXACTLY, even your own supporters claim to have not seen BOLD action on your part.

27.) I Passed 26 Of My Own Bills In One Year - NOT EXACTLY, they were not YOUR bills, but rather handed to you, after their creation by a fellow Senator, to assist you in a future bid for higher office.

28.) No one on my campaign contacted Canada about NAFTA - NOT EXACTLY, the Canadian Government issued the names and a memo of the conversation your campaign had with them.

29.) I Am Tough On Terrorism - NOT EXACTLY, you missed the Iran Resolution vote on terrorism and your good friend Ali Abunimah supports the destruction off Israel .

30.) I Want All Votes To Count - NOT EXACTLY; you said let the delegates decide.

31.) I Want Americans To Decide - NOT EXACTLY, you prefer caucuses that limit the vote, confuse the voters, force a public vote, and only operate during small windows of time.

32.) I passed 900 Bills in the State Senate - NOT EXACTLY, you passed 26, most of which you didn't write yourself.

33.) I Believe In Fairness, Not Tactics - NOT EXACTLY, you used tactics to eliminate Alice Palmer from running against you.

34.) I Don't Take PAC Money - NOT EXACTLY, you take loads of it.

35.) I don't Have Lobbyists - NOT EXACTLY, you have over 47 lobbyists, and counting.

36.) My Campaign Had Nothing To Do With The 1984 Ad - NOT EXACTLY, your own campaign worker made the ad on his Apple in one afternoon.

37.) I Have Always Been Against Iraq - NOT EXACTLY, you weren't in office to vote against it AND you have voted to fund it every single time.

38.) I Have Always Supported Universal Health Care - NOT EXACTLY, your plan leaves us all to pay for the 15,000,000 who don't have to buy it.

39.) My uncle liberated Auschwitz concentration camp - NOT EXACTLY, your mother had no brothers and the Russian army did the liberating.

 

"And the Angel of the Lord said to her: 'Behold, you are with child, and you shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because the Lord has heard your affliction. He shall be a wild man; his hand shall be against every man, and every man's hand against him. And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.'" Genesis 16:11-12

Dangerous Times: Two Great Fissures in the Global Jihad

Author: James Lewis
Source: American Thinker - August 10, 2013

The Muslim world is always ready to fragment, following the traditional Bedouin saying, “I against my brother, my brothers and I against my cousins, then my cousins and I against strangers“. This is the war logic of the desert, and it appears everywhere in Muslim history. In Libya, NATO and the United States foolishly knocked over Gadaffi’s tribal federation that ruled that country for decades, so that Libya today is back to civil war between tribes, families, terrorist gangs, and brothers. Most Muslim nations still preserve the primacy of brothers and cousins, because in case of trouble — and there is always trouble — brothers and cousins keep people alive.

When Obama pushed Hosni Mubarak out of power in Egypt in 2011 and promoted the Muslim Brotherhood instead, he imagined that there would be an “organic revolution,” whatever that means. For Obama, who as an ideologue is always surprised by reality, “organic” means something like “authentic.” Obama supports Muslims, as he has clearly said, because they are more “authentic” than the Egyptian Army, the basis for the 30-year Egypt-Israeli peace treaty. Mentally fixated leftists cannot imagine that the army can be an authentic institution. But General Anwar Sadat was the hero of the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty, and was assassinated for it. General Hosni Mubarak kept the treaty going for three decades. General Al Sisi in Egypt today stands for modernism against the throwbacks of the Muslim Brotherhood, the ones Obama is still in love with.

In fact, in the Muslim world, armies have been the biggest modernizing force in Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan, Jordan, and Syria. A rational policy for the Muslim world would therefore strengthen armies, educate them, encourage modern thinking in science and technology, and turn them into centers for genuine progress, including political progress.

This is not so unusual. General de Gaulle in France stabilized the mad gyrations of French civilian governments in the 1960s. Chile’s much-abused General Pinochet, for all his sins, also instituted the most successful free-market reforms in Latin America, turning Chile into a model of economic progress that Obama would do well to emulate. South Korea has a similar history, as do the Phillipines, Spain, and Indonesia. Armies encourage national identity, not local, family, tribal, and religious sectarianism.

Obama’s ignorance and neglect of these elementary points have now caused the Muslim world to fissure along the oldest and most destructive lines: Religion, ethnic identity, tribalism, theological heresies.

The biggest split is between Sunnis and Shi’ites, people whose deadly warfare goes back 13 centuries.

The second emerging split is between theocracy and modernism.

For example, Syria and Iraq are breaking down along religious lines.

Analyst Clare Lopez writes:

“News reports out of Syria are airing graphic footage of extensive interior damage to the historic Khalid Ibn Al-Walid Mosque in Homs. Syrian government troops, backed by Hizballah fighters, captured the mosque from Free Syrian Army (FSA) forces on July 27, 2013 … the mosque assault … was intended to incite intra-Islamic sectarian rage from the Sunni rebels.

(This) is reminiscent of the February 22, 2006 bombing of the great golden-domed Shi’ite Askaria Mosque in Samarra, Iraq, by al-Qa’eda elements, under the command of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. That carefully-calculated outrage is credited with igniting a savage multi-year civil war in Iraq, which, tragically, appears to be breaking out anew…”

Iran is the most militant Shi’ite power in centuries. Sunni nations like Saudi Arabia and Egypt are seeing their American defense umbrella crumbling, so that they are preparing to face, not tiny Israel, but the fast-growing threat of the Shi’ite Crescent.

In Turkey, the cautiously reactionary regime of Erdogan is promoting something called “neo-Ottomanism,” a word that sends shivers up the backs of Balkan and Mediterranean nations that remember the sadistic and murderous reign of the Ottoman Turks.

The great divisions are between religious sects that have hated each other for 13 centuries. Liberals can’t imagine that, because they think religion is dead. But Europe’s political parties are still split by ancient religious differences going back to the Reformation. Just because liberal atheists cannot imagine religious war, religious warriors can still imagine atheists.

Equally important is the deep Muslim split between modernists and medieval reactionaries. Westerners may not see that, because modernist Muslims everywhere feel intimidated. They can be killed for expressing their beliefs. But think back to the Green Revolution in Iran which Obama ignored several years ago, and you may remember bare-armed young people on the streets of Iran, heroically demonstrating against the cruel and barbaric regime. Their bare arms in the heat of Tehran symbolized their rejection of the throwback regime of Khomeiniism.

In Egypt, Obama backed the reactionary Muslim Brotherhood, only to trigger a rebellion of modernist forces. Television presenters in Cairo burst into tears and angry rants when Morsi was overthrown. Their well-being and modern lifestyles depend upon knocking down the Muslim Brotherhood that Obama admires so much. They are right; they have seen the worst of Islamic reactionaries, and they do not want them.

Modernism comes up for every Muslim who can turn on the television or surf the web. It is spreading because science and technology are spreading, and secretly, it is undermining the Dark Ages of the Muslim priesthood. People named Mohammed are being indoctrinated in ancient madrassahs against the modern world, but they are also beginning to do first-rate science, and those two belief systems are not compatible. The modern world is now invading even the most medieval minds

 

Because of the suicidal stupidity of Western liberals, reactionary Muslims who oppress and kill women have been raised to power in Europe, America, and the Middle East. This is ignorant and suicidal, and ordinary people are finally beginning to understand the malignant perversity of their corrupt political elites.